Thread cleaner with knot control



Oct. 5, 1954 A Moos THREAD CLEANER WITH KNOT CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19, 1951 m mvrm #131697 M005 g) Arr k Oct. 5, 1954 oos 2,690,607

THREAD CLEANER WITH KNOT CONTROL Filed Dec. 19 3 951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A e/k 0M M MW Patented Oct. 5, 1954 'UNEED STAT-ES PTENT OFF-ICE Claims priority, application Switzerland December 21, 1950 9 Claims.

Many different constructions of thread cleaners for spooling and sin'geing machines are known. Most of these devices have an adjustable slot through which the thread runs. If the adjustment is set so that the slot is too narrow, the thread will breakat every knot, also when there is .a weavers knot in the thread. The latter should pass through the slot, when the slot is properly adjusted.

In some cases, these slot devices work inconjunction with a comb, which is either directly attached to the slotted device and catches the thick portion of the thread as it emerges from the slot, so that the thread snaps, or it is located in front of the 'slot and has the function of roughening the thick portions of the thread, so that they are caught in the slot and cause the thread to snap. There are also devices where the slot is formed with a fixed and a moving knife, and where the latter has the function of being moved by a thick portion in the thread against the fixed knife, and where the latter has the function of being moved by a thick portion in the thread against the fixed knife, so that the thread is pinched between them and caused to break.

There are .also thread cleaners which do not break the thread. In one case the thread is controlled by a photo-electrical device, which actuates a stop switch when there is a thick portion in the thread. In another case, the thread runs at an angle of .25-30 through a slot which is tapered so as to become narrower in the direction of motion of the thread, where the knots in the threads slide along a non-adjustable groove in the slot without breaking.

T he object of the present invention is athread cleaner with knot control, which will cause the thread to break whenever there is a large thickened portion in the thread, such as large knots or elongated thick portions, but which lets pass all minor enlargements and the weavers knot, and similar knot-like thick portions, without causing the thread to break.

In accordance with the invention, this is obtained by arranging two knives so that they form a slot at an acute angle to the direction of motion of the thread, and by providing the lower knife with a clamping device which, if it is moved along by thick portion in the thread, is pressed against the lower edge of the upper knife and, clamping the thread, causes it to break, and by providing near the end of the slot, on the inner side of'the knife, along which the knots slide, an adjustable control stop which will let 2 pass a weavers knot and similar minor enlargements of the thread, but retain all major knotlike thick portions and break the thread.

The drawing shows a possible construction'of the object of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the thread cleaner with knot control.

Fig. 2 is a part front view to the above, in the direction of arrow A, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a part side View in the direction of arrow B, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a part plan view, with the top knife holder removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged part front View, with a part broken away,

Figs. 6 8 diagrammatic plan views to explain the function of the device.

The thread cleaner with knot control is mounted on a base plate I, which is .easy to fix to a spooling or singeing machine. The base plate of the thread cleaner .is provided withtwo thread guides 2 and 3 and with a thread brake 4, through which thread 5 passes. Between thread brake i and thread guide 3 the thread cleaner with "knot control is firmly fixed to the base plate I by means of a screw 6. The thread cleaner has a lower knife holder 1 and anupper knife holder 8, which are hinged together by means of a pin 9 so that the upper knife holder can be raised. The upper knife holder =8 is pulled down against the lower knife holder 1 by a spring It]. The slot for the passage of the thread is formed by two knives II and [2, the lower knife H being fixed to the lower holder i and the upper knife E2 to the upper holder 8. The lower knife is horizontal, and the upper knife is slightly inclined, so that the width of the slot decreases in the direction of motion of the thread. The slot width is adjustable in accordance with the thickness of the thread, it is adjusted by turning a screw [5 in the upper knife holder 3, the adjustmentscrew IB-can be set with reference to a scale 14, and it is supported by a screw it fixed in the lower knife holder. The lower and upperknives have each at their front parts an enlargement H and [2 which are flush with those parts of the knives H and I2, which form slot 13. These enlargements II and I2 are fixed by meansof screws I1 and [8 to the knives ll and 12. The enlargements could be solid with the knives. The lower knife enlargement has a notch l9, whose bottom 2!! forms an inclined plane, sloping at an angle of 11 to the horizontal. In notch IS a loose clamping roller 2! is located, whose top surface is tangential to that face of the lower knife enlargement which forms one of the sides of slot [3. The thread cleaner is located, with reference to the direction of motion of the thread, so that the knives ll, i2 make with this direction an angle of about 35 and that the thread passes close to the clamping roller 2 i. The front of the notch is covered by a cover plate 22, vhic'h is fixed by screws to the knife enlargement H. The knot control device is a control screw 23 on the inside of the knives. The knot-like enlargements of the thread slide along the knife slot. The control screw is located on the support 24, which is fixed by means of a screw 25 to the inner face of the lower knife holder 1. The point of the control screw is formed like a cone frustum and points exactly towards the end of slot l3, so that it is at a small adjustable distance from the slot. This distance is adjusted for each thread or yarn number so that the weavers knot and similar small enlargements in the thread pass this point, while all major enlargements are caught and cause the thread to break.

Roller 2! could project by 0.5 to 1 mm. above that face of the lower knife, which is one of the walls of the knife slot. This would guarantee accurate functioning even with fine threads.

The method of operation of the thread cleaner with knot control is shown in Figs. to 8. If there are no thick positions in the thread, the motion of the thread is not changed in the position a of Fig. 6, the clamping roller 2! is not touched by the thread and remains in its lowest position in the notch Hi. If there is in the thread a large knot 26, the direction of motion of the thread is changed slightly, because the knot slides along the slot when the knot hits the knives. This is indicated by path 2) of the thread motion. The knot slides along until it comes to the narrow gate formed by the control screw 23, where it is stopped, and the thread, reaching path 0, is broken. Weavers knots and knot-like enlargements of similar size pass the construction without breaking the thread.

If there are long thickened portions 2'5 in the thread, they will pass between the knives,

but the thread path is moved to b, Fig. 7, so that the thick portion touches the clamping roller and moves it into the clamping position (chaindotted line, Fig. 5), so that the thread is clamped and caused to break.

If a long enlarged portion 27 precedes the knot 26 (Fig. 8), and if portion 27 can pass through the slot, the long enlarged portion 2? will move the clamping roller along, when the thread moves into path b, and the thread will be broken by clamping before the knot has reached the constriction of the control screw.

When the thread or yarn number is changed, screw i5 is set accordingly, with reference to the indicator scale It, and the constriction is set to the new size by adjusting the control screw.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a now preferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in'the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended, therefore, to cover 4 all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A thread cleaner, with knot control, C0111- prising, in combination, two knives arranged one above the other forming a slot at an acute angle between their working edges to receive a thread or yarn, aclamping member behind the lower of said knives, said clamping member being engageable by an enlarged portion in the thread passing over it and moving it into pressing engagement against the lower face of said upper knife, an adjustable control stop at the end of said slot, adjacent the inner side of said knives along which the enlarged thread portion slides, the arrangement of such control stop being such that weavers knots and similar small thick portions pass through the slot while larger thick portions in the thread are stopped by said adjustable control stop and the thread broken.

2.;A thread cleaner, with knot control, as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower and said upper knives have enlarged portions, and in which the lower knife has a notch in which said clamping member is located.

3. A thread cleaner, with knot control, as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower and said upper knives have enlarged portions, and in which the lower knife has a notch in which said clamping member is located, said clamping member being a clamping roller located at the lowest point of an inclined plane formed by the bottom of said notch.

4. A thread cleaner, with knot control, as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower and said upper knives have enlarged portions, and in which the lower knife has a notch in which said clamping member is located, said clamping member being located at the lower point of an inclined plane formed by the bottom of said notch, the upper periphery of said clamping roller being tangential to the plane of that surface of said lower knife which forms one of the walls of the slot.

5. A thread cleaner, with knot control, as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower and said upper knives have enlarged portions, and in which said lower knife has a notch in which said clamping member is located, said clamping member being a clamping roller located at the lowest point of an inclined plane formed by the bottom of said notch, the upper periphery of said clamping roller being tangential to the plane of that surface of said lower knife which forms one of the walls of said slot, said control stop being a screw, pointing towards the end of said knife slot and forming an adjustable constriction passage.

6. A thread cleaner, with knot control, as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower and said upper knives have enlarged portions, and in which said lower knife has a notch in which said clamping member is located, said clamping member being a clamping roller located at the lowest point of an inclined plane formed by the bottom oi said notch, the upper periphery of said clamping roller being tangential to the plane of that surface of said lower knife which forms one of the walls of said slot, said clamping roller projecting above the plane of that surface of said lower knife which is the lower wall of said knife slot.

7. In apparatus for detecting and eliminating enlargements and like blemishes in threads and yarns, upper and lower knives arranged in superposed relation to form an elongated V-shaped slot between their adjacent edges, means for guiding a thread or yarn through said slot, the adjacent edge of the lower knife having a notch with an inclined bottom wall, and a roller member loosely mounted in said notch, the upper peripheral surface of said roller member being tangential to the upper edge of said lower knife and disposed in the path of movement of said thread or yarn whereby enlargements on the thread or yarn of a certain size passing through the slot are adapted to bodily move said roller member thereby clamping said enlargements and cutting the thread or yarn, said roller member being so arranged that enlargements of lesser sizes pass through said slot.

8. In apparatus for detecting and eliminating enlargements and the like blemishes in threads and yarns, upper and lower knives arranged in superposed relation to form an elongated V-shaped slot between their adjacent edges, means for guiding a thread or yarn through said slot, the adjacent edge of the lower knife having a notch with an inclined bottom wall, a roller member loosely mounted in said notch and adapted to roll along said inclined bottom wall, .the

upper peripheral surface of said roller member 9. In apparatus for detecting and eliminating enlargements and like blemishes in threads and yarns, upper and lower knives arranged to form a V-shaped slot therebetween, means for guiding a thread through said slot, and a bodily movable roller member adjacent said slot, said roller member being mounted on a surface inclined with respect to said slot, the roller being movable into said slot, and being disposed in the path of movement of said thread, the upper peripheral surface of said roller being tangential to the edge of said lower knife, said roller being adapted to intercept enlargements in the thread of certain sizes as they pass through said slot, and being constructed and arranged so as to pass enlargements of lesser sizes of thread through said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 944,898 Morton Dec. 28, 1909 992,303 Ward May 16, 1911 1,422,271 Jarry July 11, 1922 1,958,197 Lytton May 8, 1934 2,522,751 D011 Sept. 19, 1951 2,561,126 Lewis July 1 1951 2,563,814 Brink Aug. 14, 1951 2,625,732 Abbott Jan. 20, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 433,146 Great Britain Aug. 9, 1935 

